Compare a slice of gluteny Stroemann's wheat bread, a slice of Kinnikinnick's Multigrain sandwich bread, and a slice of Rudi's Original sandwich bread. Despite my expectations, the Kinnikinnick slice was about the same size as Rudi's, and it definitely had some structural integrity issues. But how would it taste?I spotted the Kinnikinnick sandwich bread on a recent field trip to Martindale's Natural Market in Springfield, PA. I had heard a lot about this loaf but hadn't seen it in a store near me. I had very high expectations. Looking back at my blog post Kinnickinnick beats Udi's? I see now that the person was singing the praises of the hot dog bun, not the sandwich bread. Still, in my mind, I was expecting it to be like regular gluteny bread. I had my first slice untoasted with peanut butter on it. It held up okay and the texture seemed good, but I couldn't actually describe the taste because of the peanut butter. I decided that my next try should be a blind taste test comparing it to a slice of the Rudi's Original I had in the freezer. In the meantime, I shot this video of my kids giving it a try.

So with that inconclusive (but highly entertaining) review, I did my own blind taste test of the two breads, thawed but untoasted and unadorned so that I could have a straight up test for flavor and texture. Despite the "blind" portion, I pretty much know what the Rudi's bread tastes like -- a little sweet and more suited to PB&J or toasted with butter and jelly than hummus, lettuce and tomato -- so I figured it out pretty quick. Rudi's has a noticable aftertaste, and it was a little grainier in my mouth and required multiple sips of water to cleanse my palate before moving on to the Kinnikinnick sample.The Kinnikinnick is equally porous, a little squishier, not sweet, and in fact did have a generic bread flavor -- not too distinctive -- which I think is a plus in the gluten-free bread universe. There would be no mistaking either of these breads for glutenous breads, but Kinnikinnick certainly comes closer to its wheaty cousin than Rudi's. So, all in all, I will pick Kinnikinnick when I have a choice between the two, but I can't yet declare that I have found my one true love. Ah, I mean loaf.

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Thanks for this. I'd just like to mention that we really did have some "structural integrity" on some of our first major production runs which we've now mostly resolved. Scaling up to full production is always a bit tricky and we've modified some processes and increased inspections. The bread overall is "tighter" so it's more "sturdy" and we've pretty much eliminated the large holes. We'd be happy to send you another loaf to try if you like. Just send me an email.

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WESTON

5/7/2017 11:27:41 am

I just bought my first loaf of the multigrain, and I must say Kinnikinnick has given me new hope! Life after gluten, it's actually delicious. 😋

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Pam H

8/20/2012 04:28:08 am

I have not tasted the Kinnikinnick yet. The Rudi's I tried was awful the one carb loaf I tried was terrible and I ended up throwing the 2 loaves I bought away. What a waste of food and money!

I have tried Rudi's and liked it at first, but after a few loaves I didn't like the taste any more. I tried Udi's white sandwich bread I like it very much. To me It tastes like real home made bread (like I use to make). There hamburger and hot dog buns are very tasty and it was so great to have a hot dog and hamburger like I use to enjoy before I found out I was celiac. I like Undi's multi grain bread also.

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Barb

8/20/2012 06:21:51 am

I tried both of those when I first went GF and hated them. So I tried about 5 or 6 recipes to make my own bread and finally found one that stands up to hearty sandwich and tastes good too. Now, when I do need to purchase a loaf, I buy Glutino's. Everything they've made is good.

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Claire Baker

8/20/2012 06:29:00 am

I'm thinking the Rudi's original will make good French toast or bread pudding. I eat mostly savory sandwiches, so the sweetness in the bread isn't a good match for my tastes. I do like Udi's products, but the sandwich bread is too porous. I use their bagels (toasted) instead.

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Claire Baker

8/20/2012 06:35:29 am

There is A LOT of trial & error in this whole business of finding gluten-free products we like. I try to think of it as an adventure. Even with the stuff I don't like, I can usually get a good story out of it! The first gluten-free loaf I tried was made of tapioca starch. Pretty dreadful! But I WAS able to turn it into a halfway decent bread pudding. Or would that make it tapioca pudding? ;-)

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Claire Baker

8/20/2012 06:38:44 am

Thanks for reaching out, Jay! I just bought this loaf on Saturday but it WAS in the freezer case, so maybe it was from Phase One in production. I'll email you -- I'd be happy to give another loaf a test ride. :-)